Delphinium
by Zwnohyun
Summary: Allen Walker was taken in by the Noah before she could become an Exorcist, and then hidden away in the Ark for years to protect her. But when her first mission turns out horribly wrong, she too, was forced into the Holy War. Poker Pair. 203  F!Noah!Allen
1. Dance, My Fair Lady

**Yo people. This is my attempt at writing a fic after ~a year, and after immersing myself in ffics over ffics for a whole week, this plot bunny suddenly poped up in my mind during one of my sleepless nights and wouldn't leave me alone after that. That basically means that a part of this fic is hugely influenced from what i've read in the week, and that plannings could only reach so far beyond a few chapters... so, it'd be great if you'd be as kind as to leave critics, and any ideas, no matter how insignificant you think they might be, would help.**

**This fic contains spoiler up to Chpt 203 (the one with the appearance of the very gay and very naked Apocryphos), and don't say i didn't warn you.**

**Now, please enjoy.**

**Summary: Allen Walker was taken in by the Noah before she could become an Exorcist. In order to protect her, a Noah who possessed Innocence, she had been hidden away in the confines of the Ark ever since. When she was finally emerging from her sheltered life, she found that her supposedly easy first mission took a turn for the worst. With her secrets and existence revealed, Allen was forced into the huge role she was to play in the Holy War between the Noah and Exorcist. [F!Noah!Allen, Poker Pair.]**

**Disclaimer: This is FanFiction**_**dot**_**net. I think that explains a lot.**

* * *

The Noah genes inside Allen was contented in the peaceful silence as it slept, snuggling up to its sleeping companion. In response, the ball of white that was also known as Crowned Clown glowed brighter, enveloping both its host and the Noah genes with warmth.

At the sudden drowsiness, the genes sent a silent curse towards the Innocence.

It had been an unspoken agreement even more before their host was born that both the Noah genes and Crowned Clown took turns to watch over Allen as she slept. The other would then take the chance to rest. Surprisingly, both the Innocence and the Noah genes found coexisting as easy as breathing, and took to each other like the best of friends.

The Innocence pulsed weakly as it squirmed in its sleep, seemingly lost in their host's dream. The genes sighed, and suddenly tensed when it felt a presence at the door to Allen's room.

Sure enough, the door slowly creaked opened and a purplish black butterfly flew into the room. At the familiar presence of the Tease, the genes relaxed and retracted its coils that it had unknowingly formed, reaching out to warn and to harm any potential threat to its host.

Tease slowly made its way across the room, gliding on its wings until it landed on Allen's left hand, startling and invoking a yelp from Crown Clown at the sudden addition of a presence so near. In turn, it had also startled the grayish ball of genes that was nestled against the sleeping Innocence.

Other than an involuntary twitch of the fingers on Allen's left arm, courtesy of Crowned Clown, neither its host nor the Innocence showed any signs of waking, and the genes relaxed once again.

Seemingly undeterred by the internal disturbance it had caused, the purplish black butterfly nestled itself against Allen's fingers, wings poised to fly back to warn its master at any single notice.

Damn Joyd and his possessiveness.

The genes scoffed, slightly insulted by the Noah of Pleasure's actions that seemingly implied that it and Crowned Clown's incompetence in protecting Allen. They had been doing a fine job in their years with Allen, way before Tyki even came into their lives. But secretly, both the genes and Crowned Clown were grateful for the Noah's actions, knowing that someone else cared about their host as much as they did.

But that didn't mean that they weren't upset.

Screw you, Joyd.

Cursing the Noah of Pleasure one last time out of spite, the genes couldn't deny the comfort the golem's presence offered, and finally allowed itself to fall into a realm between sleep and reality, never letting go of its remaining shred of consciousness that kept guard over its precious host.

**-Happy Valentine's Day-**

The golden golem rolled about on Allen's lap, seemingly pleased with how she was poking randomly at it, and Timcanpy attempted to bite the finger that prodded it every single time.

Allen looked up from playing with her golem to the Noah that had been sitting on the foot of her bed for the past ten minutes, and when the Noah gave no indication of moving or talking soon, Allen went back to playing with her golem. This time, she contented herself with pulling Timcanpy's cheeks, stretching it as wide as it could possible go, revealing the sharp teeth that hid underneath.

_"Allen~"_

The young female Noah released Timcanpy with a 'snap' and shot a _look_ at the Fourteenth in the mirror, conveying that Neah's persistence wasn't going to help the situation in the least. With one last look at the stoic Noah, Allen finally decided to speak up.

"Tyki," Allen sighed. "I'll be fine."

Too preoccupied with his thoughts, Tyki only seemed to remember Allen's presence when she spoke up.

"Huh?"

"You're worried." Allen put it simply.

Not knowing what to reply to such a sudden accusation, the Noah settled for the first thing that came to mind, which just happened to be denial.

"I'm not." Tyki immediately grimaced at how unconvincing his words sounded.

At that, Allen arched her eyebrow and her eyes lit up with what Tyki had learnt to identify as amusement, and he swore he saw something akin to mock pity flash in her eyes before it disappeared just as quickly as it had came.

"Seriously, Tyki?" Tyki's lips parted to retort, but Allen raised a hand to stop him – she hadn't finished yet.

"You barged into a _girl's_ room-" Allen emphasised on the word, drawing a wince from Tyki, "-without even knocking first, and then sat on the foot of my bed for ten minutes with that _look_ you have whenever you're worried. Not to mention that you did so right after the Earl assigned me my _first _mission – to open the Ark to the Exorcist Headquarters to aid Lulubell in the retrieval of the Egg."

Tyki blanched at the mention of the Exorcist Headquarters, and very much like a stubborn child who was bent on getting his ice-cream, Tyki protested. "Why can't the Earl do it himself, or Rhode for that matter?" Tyki paused, his next words coming out barely higher than a whisper. "Why _you_?"

He knew he was being selfish, and he knew that the young Noah who he had come to love was fully capable of handling the mission assigned to her. Hell, she was strong, perhaps even stronger than him. The sparring sessions they had together were enough to prove that. But the thought of Allen getting hurt, no matter the chances of it while knowing full well that he couldn't done something to stop it haunted him.

Although, if Allen's mission went smoothly, and even if it did, she wouldn't have to resort to physical means, especially with the Exorcists.

But it was _Allen _he was talking about. _His _Allen.

"Tyki," Allen started. "I barely have to do anything. Opening a gate to the Ark hardly counts as a mission, and can barely compare to what Lulubell has been assigned to do."

Allen moved herself closer to Tyki, and in what Allen hoped was a comforting manner; she placed her hands over Tyki's, leaning into him until their forehead touched. Almost instinctively, Tyki's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

She knew he was worried – and heck, even she was a little worried herself. Her first mission and it had to do with the Exorcist's _Headquarters. _Truth to be told, even though it was for her safety that she, a Noah who possessed an Innocence, stayed hidden from the outside world, and especially from the Dark Order's knowledge, she was getting tired of being the only one coped up in the Ark, safely tucked away from all the horrors the world has to offer.

As much as her family had tried their best to ease her loneliness and boredom by providing her with descriptions of the outside world whenever they return, and even going as far as to bring her gifts every single time, it only served to fuel her desire and want to experience the world with her very own pair of eyes. Even Rhode's horribly disturbing graphic details of how cruel and disgusting it gets out there is unable to deter Allen.

For the sake of her family and Tyki, who was the most possessive and protective living being she had ever met, she had kept her desires to herself, contenting herself with the stories and gifts her family fed her. However, she was a Noah, and she possesses Innocence to boot. She was part of this Holy War no matter what they say or do, and she didn't want to live a sheltered life forever.

"I will be fine, Tyki. Neah wouldn't let anything happen to me, remember?" Allen could almost _see_ the smug grin on her Uncle's face, and she knew that he'd make her regret her words. But Tyki always came first, and it would remain that way for a long, long time to come.

"Besides, I have Crowned Clown here to protect me if anything does happen." As if to show her point and to ease the worried Noah, the Innocence embedded in her left arm shone a brilliant green, releasing waves of energy that spoke depths of the ever increasing power that it held. "See?"

"I know," Tyki whispered and smiled. "I know."

Leaning in for a kiss, Tyki pushed the nagging feeling to the back of his mind, and concentrated on the young Noah that he held in his arms. Besides, he had vowed to protect Allen no matter what the moment he had laid his eyes on her.

_Mine. _His inner Noah growled.

Feeling Allen's soft hands on his face as she pressed herself against him to deepen the kiss, he couldn't help but agree.

Yes, Allen was _his_, and Tyki would not let any harm come to what was his and _his _alone.

**-Happy Valentine's Day-**

"Komui," the Supervisor looked up to see Reever entering his office. "There's someone here to see you."

"Who is it?"

The man didn't reply, simply guiding the visitor in with a grim look on his face.

If it wasn't for the lack of sleep that Komui was suffering from, he supposed he would've reacted differently if given the same situation in a different plight. But right now, he couldn't care less as he stood up with such force, sending his chair grating against the floor before crashing down with a loud 'thud'.

It can't be.

The black cassock, and the pectoral cross that hung loosely on a chain.

"Cardinal?"

What was someone so high-up in _Central _doing here?

The Cardinal gave a slight bow of his head and smiled.

"Supervisor Komui."

**-Happy Valentine's Day-**

Lenalee's heels clicked against the marble floor of the Exorcist Headquarters as she made her way to the cafeteria.

They had been lucky that the old tower had held even after the brutal abuse it had sustained from the fight with the Level Four, but now that their location had been revealed, Central was already looking for a new Headquarters to move into.

As if that wasn't enough, Central had assigned her a guard – Link, or in Lavi's case, 'two-spots'. It had happened shortly after the incident with the Ark when they were in Edo, based solely on the reason that they had decided against taking any chances on their potential Heart carrier.

The green-haired Exorcist sighed. She didn't actually mind Link's presence, but having someone follow her everywhere and wherever she went was seriously having a huge toll on her privacy, which was something Lenalee treasured and held onto dearly.

But as Lenalee learnt over her years as an Exorcist, anything that comes from Central rarely has anything to do with good.

**-Happy Valentine's Day-**

A sigh caught Link's attention and he looked up from his writing.

His charge had been sighing a lot lately and Link had no idea why.

Maybe… it was _that _time of the month.

And so, Link decided to leave her alone lest she unleashed the mood swings that came together with _that _on him.

**-Happy Valentine's Day-**

The Cardinal smiled at the Supervisor's question, and Komui found that he couldn't return the gesture no matter how hard he tried.

There was just _something _about this man that doesn't sit right with Komui.

"I was merely curious about this particular Exorcist with the potential to be the carrier of the Heart," Komui's eyes narrowed. That was something he had reported to the Central months ago, so why is it being brought up now? "And since I was around the corner, I decided to drop by. I was also wondering if this Exorcist was here, and hoping that I could actually pay him a visit, if you may."

There was a momentary silence where Komui contemplated on actually lying to the man, but something told him that the Cardinal already knew the answer to his own question.

No point lying then.

"Her," Komui stated. "And yes, Lenalee is here."

Silence reigned as the Cardinal closed his eyes, seemingly concentrating on something. "Hmm…"

Cardinal or not, Komui concluded that there really was something off about this man.

**-Happy Valentine's Day-**

Lavi yawned as he stared lazily at Link at the other side of the table, propping his head up with his arm. The man had had nothing but cake and Lavi was contemplating whether or not the man knew that his sweet tooth had led many to their downfall.

Hardly anyone was left, and most of the staff had returned back to work after having eaten their fill, leaving only a handful of people in the cafeteria.

Lavi noted that since the Akuma Egg had came into their possession, the staffs' attitude towards work had turned a complete hundred-and-eighty degrees around, and were actually _keen_ to work. Scientists. Period.

Thanks to the fight with the Level Four Akuma, both Kanda and Lavi had strained their barely-repaired Innocence at that point of time and had to go through intensive repairs again, meaning that their Innocence were once again taken away from them, leaving them both temporarily unavailable for mission.

If Lavi had known that this would happen, he would've kept better care of his Innocence when they were trapped in the Ark.

The red-head noted that out of all the Exorcists that remained in Headquarters, only Lenalee and him were left in the cafeteria. Everybody else was off doing something of their own – Bookman was most probably hunched over a book in the library, and Chaoji had taken off with General Theodore to train on another floor.

Even lavi's self-proclaimed best friend, who went by the name of Yuu and ended with Kanda, was off doing something – presumably bitching around in the Science Department for Mugen, and Lavi snickered at the thought. The samurai was so easily predictable at times.

Basically, other than the option of being stuck in the library with Bookman, which Lavi had no intentions of doing so, he had absolutely nothing to do and he was irrevocably bored. And 'bored' was a huge understatement as to what Lavi was currently experiencing.

So, he started forming a plan that had everything to do with the Inspector who was pointedly ignoring his stare.

**-Happy Valentine's Day-**

Contrary to Lavi's belief, Kanda does not _bitch. _Kanda simply _bosses _people around, and there was a stark difference between bitching and bossing no matter how much Lavi claimed the two be the same.

People hustled by him, sorting out paperwork and carrying in new ones. The scientists and researchers alike were occasionally throwing orders around, hoping to bring about some kind of order in the chaotic Science Department. And even if it was heard, no one gave the slightest intention of doing so as they continued about doing their own work.

Another minute passed, and Kanda's eyebrow twitched as he struggled to maintain his composure.

It wouldn't do him good if he lost his temper here. Who knows what these crazy science freaks were capable of doing to him.

However, he was getting enough of being ignored.

His hands inched towards Mugen that was strapped to his waist, only that it _wasn't _Mugen, but a sick and pathetic excuse of a wooden sword that was hardly of any use; courtesy of Komui.

_He wanted his Mugen._

Kanda scowled.

**-Happy Valentine's Day-**

"Two-spoooooooots," Lavi drawled as he watch Link take another bite out of his blueberry goodness.

"You know, two-spots, you're really going to get fat if you keep on getting nothing but Jerry's cake –" Lavi paused, and then added his nickname for Link at the end for better and more impact. "Two-spots."

Other than Lenalee's arched eyebrow at Lavi's persistent use of Link's nickname, Lavi received no response from his intended target.

How gratifying.

Unsatisfied, the bored teen tried again.

"Two-spoooooooooooooooooots~"

Nothing.

"Two-spots is gonna get faaaaaaaaaaaaat," Lavi drawled. "Fat fat fat. Fat two-spots!"

Still nothing.

This was seriously starting to hurt his pride.

However, Lavi was not one to give up easily.

Since the verbal attack didn't work, Lavi decided to go for the physical. Picking up a fork, Lavi pretended to twirl it around with his fingers while he waited for Link's cake to be down to the last bite.

_Three…_

_Two…_

_One!_

With a speed and accuracy that only a trained Bookman could pull off, Lavi snatched up the last of the cake and quickly swallowed it, silently watching Link for a response.

Lenalee, who had been watching everything and who was trying to hold in her laughter finally decided to laugh out loud when she saw Link's expression.

"_You! _Bookman Junior –"

Apparently Link had had enough of Lavi's childish behaviour and insistence on using the awful nickname. And either if it was on Lavi's 'nicknaming-sense' or Lavi's 'unfit behaviour' that Link was about to nag about, they never found out.

A sense of déjà-vu washed over them as the detestable alarm rang across Headquarters.

Her smile immediately wiped off her face, Lenalee's fork clattered onto her plate as Lavi muttered a string of curses in various languages, and Link's anger dissipated.

This was bad. With Kanda and Lavi's weapons still under repair, the only available Exorcists were Lenalee, Chaoji, Bookman and General Theodore.

Lavi groaned, letting his head crash onto the table. "Oh crap."

**-Happy Valentine's Day-**

As the alarm reached the ears of the temperamental Exorcist, Kanda muttered the first word that came to his mind.

"Fuck."

Grabbing the nearest scientist by the collar, Kanda hissed.

"Mugen. _Now."_

* * *

**Huh. Even re-writing this for god knows how many times, I still find it weird. …Is it weird? It is, isn't it?**

**Anyway, please, do leave a review. It means everything to me.**

**Oh and, Happy Valentines' Day. -inserts a ForeverAlone face-**

**(Let's just pretend my head didn't get screwy on me at the last minute, causing me to spend my precious last hours of the day rewriting certain parts and successfully dragging it into the next day.**


	2. Of a Twisted Carnival

******Contains spoilers up to Chapt 203 - Apocryphos**

**Disclaimer: **[-Space for rent-]

**Warning: **Contains F!Noah!Allen, and a fluffy puffy Poker Pair.

**Note:** Many big 'Thank You's for everyone who reviewed/alerted/favorite this fic. It really makes mornings and mail-checking something to look forward to.

* * *

A furry black ear twitched, and the cat felt before it heard someone approaching.

"Hey."

The cat turned to look at whoever that had just spoken, and was met with eyes that were silvery-blue. Allen Walker.

"Um…" Now that she was face-to-face with her target of worry, Allen suddenly didn't know what to say.

_Be careful? I'm worried? Safety before the Egg? Don't be a hero? Take the disguise as a Level Five and hope that they wouldn't attack you? Or morph into a cat/mouse/or something small if things get out of hand and try to pass off as a pet who just escaped, and hope that the Exorcists are too stupid to notice?_

The younger of the two really didn't know what to say, but one look into Lulubell's unblinking gaze and she somehow knew that she didn't have to. Lulubell simply knew.

/

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-" The apology died in Johnny's lips as he stared.

_Pathetic, _her inner Noah sneered at the filter human who had dared bump into her.

Suddenly, Johnny's eyes widened and pointed an accusing finger at Lulubell.

"You!"

Lulubell stared. The human knew.

The _disgusting _human somehow knew that she wasn't who she was pretending to be.

Impossible. Her disguise was perfect. It has to be something else that gave her away.

But she didn't care.

Her eyes bled into gold, and her skin took an ashen shade as she shed her disguise. It was time to do her job.

Still, no one else noticed that there was a Noah in their midst.

_Pathetic,_ Lulubell agreed, thrusting her hand into the human who somehow _knew._

However, what Lulubell didn't know was that Johnny hadn't even noticed that she was a Noah, not until she shed her disguise, and definitely not until she had left a gaping hole in his body. It was her _hat_ that Johnny was gaping at – the very same hat that Bak had screamed at him for; the hat he thought he had lost.

"_Oh my god!" _someone shrieked.

As the first to step out of the stupor that greeted Johnny's bloody body just as the Noah moved onto her next victim, Section Chief Reever Wenham quickly ran and sounded the alarm.

/

Kanda had more patience than what he was credited for; after all, he had managed to endure twenty suffocating minutes in a horde of obstreperous scientists for someone to bring him news about Mugen. Or better yet, Mugen itself.

He had always been one who prided himself with his tolerance.

But when the shriek of alarm around the entire building caused noise to meet silence too abruptly, alerting everyone of the goddamn _Noah _right in the middle of their midst in _Headquarters_, and the fact that said Noah happened to be in the same place as him, Kanda decided that mannerisms be damned. If Mugen wasn't going to come to him anytime soon, he was going to get it himself.

Grabbing the nearest human he could lay his hands on, Kanda felt strangely betrayed when blank eyes turned to stare up at him, reflecting on the researcher's intelligence or lack of thereof. How the hell did this guy managed to pass off as a researcher? Grimacing, Kanda quickly simplified what he was going to say, hoping that it'd convey his message across well enough.

"Mugen." He paused. How long did the mentally decapitated take to register words into their brains? "Now."

For extra measures to epitomize the urgency of his words, Kanda had even made a few hand gestures he had picked up from Lavi when he was communicating with the deaf.

Just when he thought that his work had been paid off and got his message across, the researcher's face scrunched up as if the next few words he pronounced were the hardest ever. "Moo-gain?"

"What the f-" Appalled, Kanda released his hold on the researcher's collar abruptly and the guy dropped unceremoniously onto the floor.

_Retards. The whole bunch of them._

Moving off to find someone else who could shed some light on Mugen's whereabouts, the samurai silently hoped that by the time he got back, the Noah would've done something good for a change and skewered the sick and pathetic excuse of a researcher.

/

"You." Komui pointed at one of the guards. "Find and guard the Cardinal. And you," his finger moved to rest at another guard. "Grab a golem and go with him."

"As for the rest of you, evacuate everyone to where Hevlaska is and stay put. It should be the safest there." The Supervisor paused. "And make sure that you stay alive no matter what. You may go."

With a salute, the guards quickly left the room to their newly assigned tasks.

As soon as Komui was alone, he landed a punch to his table.

"Damn it!"

They were too naïve to think that the Earl wouldn't land another attack so soon after the Level Four. They were too naïve to rely on the theory that if the Earl had really wanted them gone, he would've done so hundreds of years ago. And their naivety might just lead them to their downfall this time.

Back in Edo, they had survived and made it out of the Arc thanks to the General Cross, and had even attained the Akuma Egg with the use of his magic. They had survived the Level Four's attack only because every General was present at that time, and they had Lenalee's newly evolved Innocence. And yet, even with all of that, their losses were still great.

This time, all that they have are five Exorcists – One General and four Exorcists. One, who could still barely fight, and two, who did not have their Innocence – and their nearest reinforcements were at least three hours away.

This time, they did not have the luxury of making any mistakes. One wrong move and it could lead them all to their death.

This time, they might not be so lucky.

And this time might just be their last.

All that Komui could do was to carry out his role as the Supervisor, and to pray for the best.

/

"Tyki!" Rhode called out.

Allen stirred from where she laid curled up, her head cradled against the well-toned chest of none other than Tyki Mikk.

Completely contented with where he was, the man made no move to indicate that he had heard Rhode. Instead, he focused more on the young Noah he held in his arms, who had tensed up ever so slightly.

Shifting so that he could look better at her, Tyki called out softly. "Allen?"

A frown pulled at her lips, and she pushed gently against Tyki's chest as she propped herself up so that she was now sitting. "The Ark…" She whispered, her voice soft and gentle.

Tyki couldn't help but marvel at how her soft, elegant wavy locks of snowy white hair fell so perfectly as she shifted. It fell across her ears, now falling way past her slim shoulders and down her back, curling ever so slightly at the end. He was secretly glad that Rhode' had insisted upon having Allen grow out her hair, even though he was met with the same fate. Like him, he knew that Allen had only complied to stop Rhode's nagging - about how it was a pity to hide her beauty, and how it'd make her even prettier.

A few months after that, when Allen's hair had grown way past her shoulders, Tyki couldn't help but agree more.

"The Gate…" Allen stated, drawing Tyki back into reality. "It opened." Her eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly as she seemed to be deep in thought, missing the questioning look Tyki had sent her.

What? Tyki blinked – once, twice. And then it finally clicked.

Oh. _Oh. _"Lulubell."'

His only response was a slight nod.

In the retrieval of the Egg, Allen had entrusted Lulubell access to one of her Ark's many rooms for the transportation of the Akumas she would be bringing with her. One thing that Allen had learnt over the years were that some Noahs, like Lulubell, preferred having the Akumas do the work, stepping in only when there was a need to.

No matter how it went against Tyki's wishes, Allen's role would come in next after that. She would open a Gate that connected to a room that only she was allowed access to – unless given her consent otherwise – where the Egg were to be transported to.

Since Lulubell had already released the flood of Akumas onto the humans, it was probably Allen's cue to play her part soon.

Allen turned her silvery-blue eyes to look at the Noah on the couch next to her, and huffed as she seemed to somehow sense that Tyki had forgotten all about Lulubell. However, it was nothing a lopsided grin from Tyki couldn't undo, and Allen found that she was yet again unable to stay mad at Tyki.

Deciding that it was about time for her to head into the Ark to do her job, the young female Noah pulled away from Tyki's embrace, albeit unwillingly on the latter's part.

Tyki was just about to follow Allen through the Gate she had summoned, when a pale hand reached out to stop him.

Doing nothing to hide the hurt and confusion in his golden eyes as Allen turned to look at him; the young Noah chuckled as she stepped out of the passageway, pulling them both in the opposite direction. "Don't you have something else to attend to first?" Her silvery-blue eyes turned to look pointedly at the door just as Rhode pounded on the door again.

Tyki grimaced. He had been trying to ignore Rhode while hoping that Allen would do the same.

"I bet she just needs some help with her homework or someone to play dress-up with," the Third Child protested, trying to wave off any reasons for him to return Rhode's call. Snaking an arm around Allen's waist, Tyki pulled her closer to him and he could immediately smell her intoxicating scent wash over him. He wasn't about to give up any time with Allen, especially if it had something to do with Rhode.

His eyes were swimming with so much love for her that Allen felt her knees go weak the moment their gaze locked, Tyki's firm arm on her waist being the only thing that kept her still standing.

"If it's homework she needs help with," Allen whispered. "Just tell her to leave it on my desk; I'll get to it when I'm back. And if it's the latter…" the young Noah let her sentence trail off, her silvery-blue eyes fluttering close when Tyki closed the distance between them and claimed her lips with his own, and Allen could feel the familiar surge of warmth rise up inside her, threatening to overwhelm.

Tyki's hold on her waist tightened as he pulled her even closer to his body, feeling as Allen's soft, creamy hands work their way up around his neck as they both deepened their kiss. He was met with little resistance when he ventured his tongue out, wanting to taste more of Allen's sweetness.

Allen could feel her skin tingling with Tyki's every touch, and she shuddered, leaning into the embrace. The heat in her blood surged with a whole new intensity, calling, begging, to be touched again, and again.

A soft moan escaped her parted lips, startling the young Noah, while the other simply tightened his grip on her as he intensified their kiss, and an unfamiliar heat was starting to surge up inside her, pooling at her-

A loud knock interrupted the two Noahs, bringing them back to their senses, and Allen's cheeks immediately flushed a deep red, her silvery-blue eyes widening. Seemingly undeterred by the disturbance, Tyki leaned down to catch her lips again.

"Tyki!" Rhode pounded against the door, threatening to knock it down if he didn't come out soon.

Golden eyes narrowed, and Tyki reluctantly pulled away from Allen.

"You know… You're too good to Rhode." Tyki whispered against her lips as he caressing her soft cheek lovingly, his rich golden eyes staring into the ethereal silvery-blue ones.

Groaning, he fixed the door with an annoyed look when Rhode knocked not so quietly again, and all the while, Tyki kept his arm locked securely around Allen's waist, keeping her body flush against his. He really didn't want to let go…

"Go on," Allen encouraged Tyki with a slight push. Rhode's threats were promising to be getting bloodier and bloodier, and Allen was actually starting to worry for Tyki's safety. It'd be best not to keep the Noah outside their door waiting any longer. "You know where to find me," Allen continued. I'll keep this Gate open for you."

Tyki gave a resigned sigh as he nodded, worry apparent in his eyes as he relaxed his hold on her. Before he could change his mind, Allen quickly slipped out of Tyki's grip and flashed him a smile that was reserved for him and him only before disappearing into the Ark, leaving Tyki to deal with an irritable and most probably pissed off Rhode.

/

As soon as Allen entered the Ark, her smile faltered to be replaced with a frown.

There's this feeling… like there's someone calling out to her; and it has been nagging at her ever since… Allen couldn't pinpoint when exactly, but she knew it was sometime around the kiss…

The kiss… Allen trailed her now slightly swollen lips with a finger.

It was still tingling.

Suddenly, a memory of the kiss she had shared with Tyki flashed past her eyes, and Allen's cheeks once again flushed a deep pink. Deep within her mind, she could hear the Fourteenth snickering at her, and she quickly tried to hide her embarrassment by covering up her face with her hands.

Of course, it was of no use at all as Neah wasn't physically there with her.

She could hear Neah commenting about her for 'being such a girl', which she had retorted that she would've been horrified instead if he told her that she was behaving like a boy. At that, Neah had outright laughed at her.

However, no matter how annoying her _Uncle_ was proving to be, Allen still couldn't shake off the nagging feeling she had the moment the Ark made a connection to the Exorcist Headquarters. But she decided that now wasn't the time to be dwelling on it; she had a job to do.

Unbeknownst to its Master – the Ark didn't like the term 'Mistress', feeling that 'Master' was more suitable for someone as graceful and elegant as its Master – as she argued with the insufferable Noah that resided in her head, the Ark had discreetly altered its streets so that its Master, who had been travelling in the wrong direction, was now walking on the right path. The Ark had even shortened the distance between its Master and the room she was heading to so she need not walk as much.

At its Master's triumphant shout of joy in finding the right room so soon, and for not getting lost, the Ark blushed as it silently praised itself for a job well done.

/

Kanda cursed as a particularly strong blow from an Akuma sent him flying off his feet and crashing into the next room.

"Yuu!" Lavi shouted, torn between staying with Komui and running to his injured friend. However, his decision was made for him when a horde of Akumas stood between them.

The samurai's eyes narrowed as the pathetic sword he had taken from a guard shattered from the earlier impact. _Useless. _Kanda gritted his teeth as he grabbed the nearest object that could be substituted for a sword, jumping out of the way as another Akuma landed a blow to the spot where he had been.

"Tch." Another Level Three.

Kanda would have easily taken care of such a small-fry if it had been in another situation, where it didn't involved him making a fool out of himself by swinging something other than Mugen.

If only he had Mugen with him and if only he didn't have some annoying _Cardinal _huddled in a corner, mumbling in some language that sounded too stupid for him to care, with the two guards who were next to useless against Akumas. Being the only one in the vicinity who could do some actual shielding and not just waving some useless sword that would only provoke the Akuma, Kanda had decided that it wouldn't do him good if he feigned blindness to that particular spot where the Cardinal was, where he would no doubt be dead in a few minutes if left alone. Besides, it would reflect poorly on him as an Exorcist if he allowed somebody from Central to die. Stupid, stupid extra luggage.

The blue-haired Exorcist cursed again when there was an overly high-pitched scream from behind him, probably from a Finder – because they were just weak that way – from Kanda's guess.

"Holy shit, Yuu." Lavi whistled, and would've been skewered by Kanda if he weren't blocked by countless upon countless of Akuma. Where the hell was Lenalee, that pathetic General of his, or the equally pathetic apprentice he carried around? "Is that a _femur _you're swinging around?"

Kanda hadn't actually spared a glance at whatever he's holding in his hands, and now that Lavi had mentioned it… An unhealthy shade of white greeted his eyes. "Tch." The samurai chose to focus more on not getting killed than what he was actually holding, unlike the red-headed moron.

Komui, who was too busy hiding behind Lavi while tending to Johnny to pay attention to the conversation around him, looked up when he heard Lavi's words. "Oh my god," he gaped at Kanda as he alternated between looking at the Exorcist and to the room he had crashed into. "Is that Toma's?"

Who? Kanda decided he didn't want to know when the bone shattered in his hands when he blocked a relatively weak blow, proving that whoever it had belonged to was just as equally weak. Must have been a Finder's.

/

Lenalee sped through the hallways searching for the room that General Theodore had insisted she find.

What was so important that was worth risking lives for? She quickly found her answer when she kicked the door open. Not even stopping for air, Lenalee grabbed the sword and hammer that laid on the table in the middle of the room and ran out.

"Lenalee!" Chaoji waved at the female Exorcist as he spotted her.

"Grab on!" the newly appointed Exorcist had barely registered Lenalee's words when he was suddenly lifted from the ground, speeding through the corridors at a speed that only Lenalee was capable of. God bless Lenalee and her Innocence.

Lenalee only hoped that they'd make it before any more innocent lives could be lost.

/

"Heaven's Compass. Needles of Spells: North Crime!" Bookman was too wise to humour himself; as he stood panting, he knew full well that he wouldn't stand a chance by himself against the sheer number of the Akumas that infiltrated the Headquarters.

His muscles were already aching, and his limbs felt heavier by the minute. And yet, no matter how many Akuma he destroyed, another one would appear to take its place, creating a seemingly twisted version of an endless game of tag.

A green fist suddenly appeared in his vision, sending an Akuma that he hadn't notice flying and crashing into the opposite wall.

Chaoji.

Bookman gave a nod of appreciation to the newly appointed Exorcist, who smiled in return.

"Lenalee! It's so good to see you- Oooh!" Lavi caught the flying projectile Lenalee had sent hurling his way, and he was never so happy to be greeted by the familiar hammer that was his Innocence. "Look, Yuu!" A cheeky grin was on his face as he waved his Innocence in the air.

A swarm of Hell's Insects that was sent his way was his response.

"Aww, I love you too."

Sensing Bookman's gaze on him, Lavi waved his now enlarged Innocence at his mentor as a fiery serpent twirled around him, having destroyed all the Akumas that had been trying to get past him and to Komui already.

The Bookman rolled his eyes. "Brat."

He was getting too old to be doing all this jumping around and all this physical work. Seeking refuge on a piece of fallen rubble, Bookman sighed as he relieved his leg muscles from their abuse temporarily.

His apprentice was jumping around all over the place, doing both his job as an Exorcist of ridding off the Akuma and doing his job of protecting Komui.

Leave it to the young ones to be so energetic.

/

An insane grin found its way across the Cardinal's face.

He can feel it, oh, he can feel it.

There was something else with it though, a presence that made his blood boil at the thought of it, but he didn't – couldn't care at the moment. He was just so _happy_.

It had been so long that he had lost count on the number of years he had spent searching, and searching, for that _one thing_. Had it been a hundred years? No. It was definitely longer than that. Five hundred? Maybe. He didn't know anymore. And he didn't care anymore.

"Cardinal?" the man quickly gathered his senses as he fixed his face into a smile.

After he had waited for so long, he didn't mind waiting for just a little longer – just that little longer for the presence to come closer to him, to feel him, to answer his call, and to come running to him.

"Yes?" the Cardinal couldn't stop the sheer joy he felt from seeping into his voice, earning a raised eyebrow from the Guard.

Oh, he was _so very _delighted.

He didn't even mind when white, Innocence vines sprouted and encased him and many others with its protective hold, shoving him another layer away from _it_.

Because he was just _that_ happy.

* * *

**Note: **However much i enjoyed the writing process, it gives me no such pleasure - quite the opposite, really - with the reading part. Though silly, i actually do cringe and grimace when i have to read through my work. It always makes me feel like it came out wrong, that it actually feels crappy, and i'd lose my motivation to continue on - and i'd have to find my motivation and inspiration all over again =="

Please pardon any mistakes you find, and if you could ever be so kind, point it out to me so i could fix it up for 'ya.

**Now, don't be shy and please do leave a Review.**

_Even a short and simple one-worder would do the trick._


	3. Goodbye, Halcyon Days

**Disclaimer: ***disclaims*

**Warnings: **Spoilers up till Chapter 203, contains F!Noah!Allen.

**A/N: **Once again, i'd very much like to thank all of you who had reviewed, alerted, or simply read this fic. It truly makes me very happy. Thank you.

* * *

"_There is nothing much more fearful than fear itself, for nothing else so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear." – Komui Lee._

**X**

Allen coughed as she fell to her knees, her silvery-blue eyes wide with fear. She grasped her chest as her heart beat wildly, her fingers clenching and wrinkling the clothing. Timcanpy fluttered frantically somewhere above her, alarmed by its Master's sudden distress.

"What…?"

_Ba-thump._

Allen gasped, clenching her eyes shut.

A green light pulsed, and Allen opened a bleary silvery-blue eye to look at the green cross embedded in her left arm that was Crowned Clown.

"_Come…"_

Allen's breath hitched as the world twisted before her eyes, becoming a dizzying whirl of colours that were suddenly too bright to look at, and she quickly shut her eyes again.

"_Come to me…"_

Allen shuddered as she tried to fight off the terror that was creeping up to her, threatening to overwhelm her; to bury her alive.

"_To me… come."_

Allen wanted to shout out so badly for the thing to just leave her alone, but all that she managed was a gasp of "No."

"…_Why?"_

Her silvery-blue eyes opened in surprise. The being – or whatever it was had actually sounded… hurt.

Suddenly, Allen felt the air around her go cold, and she shivered slightly.

A fresh wave of pain racked her petite frame, and Allen couldn't stop the anguished cry that escaped her lips.

Crowned Clown pulsed again, seemingly as distressed as its host.

Whatever that was speaking_attacking_hurting* her was somehow affecting her Innocence the same way, and seeing Crowned Clown lose its usual cool was doing nothing to help her with her current state.

Allen bit her lip to keep herself from screaming, her fingernails scratched against the floor as her hand balled up into a fist, digging into her palm and drawing blood.

Oh God, it _hurt_. Allen choked back a sob as she fought against the tears that were threatening to flow.

She just wanted to curl up somewhere and cry.

Her arm finally gave up on her and Allen slumped onto the ground, immediately curling up into a ball in a futile attempt to ease her pain.

She wanted so bad for the pain to stop, for something – anything; anyone to just come and free her from this pain.

"Ty…ki."

She could hear the _being _snarl at the mention of the Noah's name, but she didn't care.

Still blinded by the pain, Allen reached out a hand, hoping that the one being – the sole being who could free her from her pain to be here, and she could just jump into his arms and let the tears she's been trying so hard to keep away free. And he would rub soothing circles on her back as he whispered those comforting words like he always would, giving her the solace that only he could.

And suddenly, almost miraculously, he was there. Just standing there, out of breath, with something gold flying above his head, his wide golden eyes staring down at her with this odd look Allen couldn't put a name to.

Timcanpy. She hadn't even noticed her golem's absence.

"Allen?"

Suddenly, the pain doubled, and she could hear the voice shouting, screaming at the Noah from the Gate–

The Gate! Allen had to close it; she had to close the gate that was transporting the Egg, she had to close the only thing that connected her to this _being_ – the Egg could come in later. The Earl would understand.

"_NO!"_

Allen could hear the _being_ snarl, as if sensing what she was about to do.

And it was so _angry_.

"_No no no no no no- NO!"_

Blinking through her watery eyes, Allen could vaguely make out the silhouette of Tyki as he ran towards her, and she reached her hand out blindly again.

"_No!"_

This time, the voice didn't belong to the _being_, and Allen felt something enter her Ark moments before being dragged into the Gate just as she managed to sever the connection between the Exorcist Headquarters to the Ark, leaving the Gate shattering into pieces behind her.

/

"_Shit!"_

Lavi let out a string of curses as something white shot towards the Akuma that was before him, piercing a hole through its skull.

The Level Four's body bubbled, its limbs twisting in awkward angles as it worked its way into its destruction. When a Level Four goes out, it usually goes with a bang, and Lavi most certainly was not going to be anywhere near it when that happens.

"Ozuchi Kozuchi!"

He barely had enough time to shield himself, and Lavi silently thanked his Innocence's awesomeness in shape-shifting as it protected him from most of the explosion.

"Ugh," Lavi groaned as he clutched his dizzy and now bleeding head.

/

With a cry, Chaoji slammed the Level Two that General Tiedoll's Innocence has been restraining into another Akuma.

Chaoji watched the demon spawns explode with a smile on his face.

His very first kill. And it was a double kill.

General Tiedoll offered his apprentice a smile. Off in the distance, Maker of Eden destroyed four Level Threes with a swing of its fist.

The smile on Chaoji's face widened as he felt his being whelm up with pride.

_Anita-sama… everyone…_

Chaoji sniffed, determination in his eyes as he set off to rid the world of more evil.

/

"Lavi!" Lenalee shouted in warning, and Lavi barely had the time to slam a white tendril–whatever it was, away from him, narrowly hitting the samurai as he did so.

"Watch it!" Kanda growled as he released Mugen on yet another Level Four – which dissipated into a mass of white, and then nothing.

The Level Four's eyes narrowed as it took the opportunity to flee to higher grounds. "What kind of trick was that?"

It was Kanda's turn to narrow his eyes at the lowly Akuma's audaciousness in calling him cheat. Kanda is a swordsman who takes pride in his straight-forward ways. He does not, in any circumstances, plays _tricks_.

"Yea, Yuu. What kind of trick was that?" The red-headed teen giggled as he released a fiery serpent upon an unsuspecting Level Three, watching as it writhed around, bumping into a Level Two and turning them both into ashes.

Kanda shot him a glare that basically told him to _shut the fuck up_.

/

"Whoa!" Another explosion racked the ground, accompanied by a scream.

Lenalee landed on an Akuma none too gently, destroying it as she leapt off a moment later. "Kanda! Lavi!"

The Level Four's head whipped around to look at where Lenalee was pointing at, and its eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

"The Cardinal!"

"_Innocence!" _The Level Four sneered, drawing the attention of the rest of the Akumas.

Lavi's emerald eye widened as he alternated between staring flabbergasted at the Akuma and the Cardinal. Innocence?

"O-Oi! What the hell?"

/

The Cardinal was perturbed.

For the first time in all the seven thousand years that _he_it had lived, things had not gone according to his plan.

_Why?_

_He_it didn't know.

_Why isn't she coming to him?_

_He_it really didn't know.

And _he_it didn't know what to think about what he didn't know about, because _he_it was used to having things going _his_its way.

There was no way this could be happening, so the Cardinal closed his eyes and tried again.

"_No."_

_He_it flinched, shaking _his_its head rapidly in denial.

_Why?_

_He_it wanted to know; and he_it _wanted to know so badly, as to just why _she _was refusing him. But _she_ didn't reply. So he made sure that _she _felt the same pain that _she _was causing _him_it.

Still, _she_ did not reply.

And it was when _she _finally opened her lips once more that _he_it finally knew why.

_Noah._

_He_it seethed with anger as he cursed and it cursed those goddamn Noahs and their _pathetic _spawns. He couldn't even bare to look at those filthy, mangled creatures, powered by those hateful dark matter and those _weak_ human souls; and so it destroyed them as he went to collect _her._

(I got sick of typing _he_it all the time, so imma just alternate between 'he' and 'it' from here on.)

"C-Cardinal!"

One glance at those Exorcists and he felt like it was going to barf; _useless_ second-rated fragments of Innocence that didn't even have the power to destroy a Level _Four_.

But they were still kin, so he let them be.

However, it just couldn't stand those worthless _humans _who stank of rotten magic and those who delved in science. So he let them have a taste of its power – not so much for the latter, since those humans who gave up their belief in God had and were only trying to help its kin.

But he made sure that those magic-users didn't get the chance to taint the air anymore with their rotten breath. It wasn't cruel though; he made it quick.

Or maybe that was because it didn't want to waste his time on them. Oh well.

"_Die! Innocence!"_

Oh? It didn't realize there were still more of those filthy spawns.

Remembering to be courteous, he ascertained eye contact with that _thing_, even going as far as to smile. After all, it wouldn't do good if he, as a Cardinal, was rude.

But it was quickly getting sick of all this interruption. Thus, he made the grotesque human-looking thing suffer as much as it could.

_Now…_

His eyes narrowed as it sensed what _she _was about to do, and in one swift motion, he penetrated _something _and the Ark.

"_No! _Master's Egg-"

The Cardinal snickered at the Noah of Lust's agony. Revenge was sweet.

But its amusement was short-lived as it was replaced with something much better.

_Pure white_, he mused, as he looked tenderly on what it held with its feathery tendrils. It matched so perfectly.

Ignoring the reactions of his second-rated kin in the presence of the _original, _h_e_ felt something bloom inside him as it revelled in _their _resonance.

_The Apocryphos has finally found its Heart._

/

Lenalee gasped as she collapsed onto the floor, her eyes wide and unseeing. Bookman wasn't fairing any better as he, too, fell onto his knees.

"Lenalee!"

Lavi's Innocence clattered loudly onto the marble floor, shrinking back to its original size as he lost his invocation. "W-What?"

Kanda leaned heavily on the wall as he fought to even out his breath; his knuckles turning white from his tight grip on Mugen.

"Komui!" Bak shouted as he pointed towards the large mass of thorny vines and roses that was gradually falling apart. "Embracing Garden is- Whoa!"

The ground shook as General's Tiedoll's Art – or as Lavi likes to call it, White Giants – crumpled onto the ground, stirring up dust in its process.

"Ugh…" the General fell to his knees as he gripped his head. "My synchronisation…"

"Bak! General Tiedoll!" Komui coughed as he tried to breathe through the dust and poisonous gas, covering Lenalee's nose with his sleeve. "What the hell is going on?"

The muffled voice of the Asian Branch's Head came, "That's what I'd like to know!"

A cloth was pressed over his mouth as he limped his way towards Bookman Junior and the stoic samurai, presumably to prevent inhaling anymore of the Akuma's poisonous gas.

"General Tiedoll! Kanda-san!" Chaoji yelled, and both Komui and Bak wondered why the newest apprentice of General Tiedoll was not affected like the other Exorcists. However, they decided they didn't care when they saw just _what_ – or rather, _who_ – the Cardinal had brought out of the Ark.

/

White.

And for a moment, that was all that Allen could see.

Allen shivered from the contact that was neither cold nor warm. But it was gentle, and yet at the same time rough. But Allen decided that the latter was more accurate when she found that she could hardly breathe against whatever that was constricting her.

"_Heart~"_

Allen's eyes shot open. She hadn't even realized she'd closed her eyes.

"Wha-?" She was interrupted when something white was pressed against her mouth, and then someone or _something_ was shushing her.

"Ssh~ It's alright, it's alright." _He_it cooed, but it did nothing to soothe Allen. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

Eyes that were of a pale green colour peered straight into Allen, and she choked back a gasp at the close proximity of the _thing _– Allen didn't even know what it was anymore – that held her captive.

What was once human was no longer what anybody can call _human_, or anything like it anymore. Its skin was of a pure white, seemingly hard and scaly, running as far as Allen's eyes could see. Cracks adorned its body, and Allen was horrified to note that it had neither lips nor eyelids. A strange petal-like cross marred its chest, glowing the same painfully familiar green as its eyes.

The green…

An eerie chuckle reached her ears and Allen cringed when she felt it grasp her left hand.

"Smart girl." Allen went to pull back her arm, but the _thing_ wouldn't let her, tightening its grip and obviously amused by her reaction. "Yes, yes," it hissed.

Her silvery-blue eyes narrowed as she watched its every moment, fighting not to flinch as it trailed her Innocence with its fingers. Crowned Clown's brilliant green flickered, obviously as displeased with the touch as its host.

"Smart girl you are. Yes, yes, smart indeed."

She squirmed against the feathery-like tendrils that dug painfully into her skin, wanting to get away as far as possible from her captor. "So smart to have figured me out already."

Black dots danced in her vision as Allen felt herself go light-headed from the lack of air.

"Yes, yes, yes. I'm an Innocence. So smart, so very smart. It makes me so happy."

Her breaths were getting too loud to her ears, and she fought to keep her eyes opened, unwilling to let the _thing _out of her sight even for a second.

"But you see," the _thing_ gave up his hold on her hand, moving to take a hold of her chin, and Allen quickly snapped her head to the right. "I'm different from all those other Innocence." Her attempts were seemingly futile as the _thing_ forced Allen to look at him, its thumb caressing her cheek and leaving touches that felt so very _wrong_.

"Because…"

Allen silently cursed as she felt her body go numb against the tight restrains that bound her limbs.

"I exist for _you_." It was barely a whisper, but Allen could hear it nonetheless, though her brain was slow to register its meaning in her daze.

White shrouded her vision, and it was all that she could see through her now half-lidded eyes.

White; it was all around her, on her…

A grin that seemed too wide broke out on the _thing's_ face, and Allen saw a little too late the hand that was poised over her left arm.

And the white was _in _her.

Allen managed a mangled sound between a gasp and a cry as she heard rather than felt her _own _blood splatter against her clothes. Her eyes widened and then quickly snapped shut a moment later, biting her lips and drawing out blood as she fought not to scream.

She could feel something writhing, moving, and crawling inside her arm, breaking and tearing open her skin as those feathers sprouted from within, hardening and solidifying the moment it was exposed to the air.

_Pain._

_Allen wanted to cry._

"Ssh, my little one. Ssh," the _thing _ran its fingers through her hair as it tried to soothe her cries. It hurt, to see and know that it was the cause of its Heart's suffering. But it was necessary, see. It was sure its Heart would forgive him when she knows what he's doing. He had to hurt her, as much as he disliked it, to remove the _filthy _Noah inside her.

_Pain._

_It flared from her arm, not sparing her the slightest mercy as it burned her whole body._

When it had swore an oath to protect the Heart; the reason for its very existence all those years ago, a _Noah_ – or rather, the Noah genes, for it can sense that she wasn't a complete and full-fledged Noah yet – was not in the bargain. And it was more than happy to be quickly rid of it, wanting its Heart to be pure, white, and untainted – just like how it had always imaged it to be. Yes, _its _Heart.

It existed solely for her, so why couldn't she be its? It only made sense that way.

"It's okay, it's okay." It somehow felt like it had to explain its actions, and so it did. "I have to destroy the filthy _Noah things_ that dared taint you, you see."

_Pain._

Blood flowed freely from her wounds, leaving a hot trail of red in its wake as it dripped onto the floor.

_Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain-_

_It _**hurt**_._

And darkness greeted Allen.

/

"-the first time we met…"

Allen blinked, suddenly finding herself in a room that smelled heavily of booze and cigarette. She blinked again. Where was she?

"…she didn't call herself Allen then."

The said girl jumped, twirling towards the direction where two men were, silhouetted against the window as a storm poured overhead.

The gun that the shorter of the two held gave a soft _click_ as its safety was undone.

A lightning flashed, momentarily lighting the otherwise dark room.

Allen's breath quickened as she comprehended what she had just saw.

The white against the golden crosses. The red against the white that was the mask.

"Should've realized the mistake sooner."

Allen's eyes widened in horror as she willed her legs to move, to stop the horror that was happening right in front of her. But she was too late.

The figure pulled the trigger, and the window behind shattered.

And so did her very being.

"_No!"_ Allen screamed. _Master!_

Pain.

It's still there.

And it was something she couldn't be freed from.

/

The pure white hair that had almost been silver…

Bak Chan grabbed a piece of rubble and chucked it at the Cardinal.

His eyes narrowed as he glanced at the immobile Exorcists. It can't be. But he knew that it was something he couldn't possibly forget.

"O' Spirit Stone."

If it was really who he think it is...

He had to help.

* * *

**A/N: **To be honest, i had this done a week ago - well, except for those minor tweakings here and there. As for the delay? Well, I'm not exactly satisfied with how this chapter turned out, but i couldn't squeeze anything else out after nights upon nights spent thinking on how to improve, and decided that i should just be happy with whatever i had, for it is my work after all. Plus, things started getting busy for me, what with enrolling into a new school and such.

On a side note, i recently got my first ever mac, and i am very proud to say that i sprained my wrist carrying it home (it still hurts now, thank you very much).

Right. As always, please do point out any errors (if any), and a heartfelt 'Thank You' for both readers and readers who'd be as kind as to leave a Review.

**May our souls be with Japan.**

_And i hope that everyone stays safe. You too, Katsura Hoshino._**  
**


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